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3 - Pidgins and Creoles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2024

Robert McColl Millar
Robert McColl Millar
Affiliation:
University of Aberdeen
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Summary

This chapter discusses and exemplifies the nature and devlopment of pidgins and creoles. Placed in social and historical context, a range of varieties, contemporary and historical, are discussed. Competing theories on the development of these varieties -- as well as whether they are closely connected to each other -- are addressed. Bickerton’s idea of the language bioprogram hypothesis is critiqued, while the most potent and popular contemporary views on how creoles developed -- creole exceptionalism and uniformitarianism -- are compared and analysed. The case study considers the linguistic history and present nature of the creoles of Suriname, with particular emphasis on Sranan.

Keywords

pidginscreolesMufweneMcWhortercreole exceptionalismuniformitarianismBickertonlanguage bioprogram hypothesis
Type
Chapter
Information
Linguistic Contact and Language Change
An Introduction
 , pp. 55 - 105
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Pidgins and Creoles
  • Robert McColl Millar, University of Aberdeen
  • Book: Linguistic Contact and Language Change
  • Online publication: 22 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009071093.003
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  • Pidgins and Creoles
  • Robert McColl Millar, University of Aberdeen
  • Book: Linguistic Contact and Language Change
  • Online publication: 22 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009071093.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Pidgins and Creoles
  • Robert McColl Millar, University of Aberdeen
  • Book: Linguistic Contact and Language Change
  • Online publication: 22 December 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009071093.003
Available formats
×